Mental Health First Aid is an interactive 8-hour training course that presents an overview of mental illnesses and substance use disorders in the U.S. The course introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact, and reviews common treatments.

The course offers easy to follow materials for non-clinicians to identify, understand, and provide initial help to individuals in crisis or showing symptoms of a mental illness or substance use disorder. The course is a terrific opportunity to bring people together across the community on a topic of importance to everyone. Mental Health First Aid can:

Enhance community level capacity to identify mental health and substance abuse issues early on

Increase awareness of and refer people to resources

Increase the confidence of natural helpers to intervene

Broaden the concepts of “workforce” and “first responders” to support the community as a whole

Decrease any negative opinions about individuals living with a mental health or substance use concern

Reinforce that mental health and substance abuse issues can be viewed in a health framework

The training is appropriate for a wide variety of audiences, including: